MSU hoops to compete in 2018 'Barnstorming Tour'

By Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, 3 years ago

MSU hoops to compete in 2018 'Barnstorming Tour'

By Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, 3 years ago

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis has taken on the role of “The Riddler” over the past month, tweeting out clues about an upcoming MSU sporting event. The riddle was solved today as Hollis announced the creation of a four-team “barnstorming tour” with MSU, Florida, North Carolina and Texas playing a round-robin set of three games, one each in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The plan is scheduled to take place in 2018 and features double-headers set to be played on Dec. 15 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Dec. 18 at Chicago’s United Center and Dec. 22 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. All four teams will be traveling together on a single chartered airplane.

“It’s a very cool idea,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo told ESPN.com. “At first I thought it was crazy, but it’s during break so we don’t miss any school. It’s three big games in a row, and with the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and other events [Champions Classic] we could have six or seven big games.”

While Izzo does appear to be all-in on the idea, it does bring up the question of whether or not Izzo will still be coaching the Spartans five years from now, when the event is scheduled to take place. Izzo is currently in his 19th season as the Spartans head coach, and has stated that he plans to finish his coaching career at Michigan State.

About Sean Merriman

BTN.com web editor Sean Merriman covers football and men’s basketball and provides original content for BTN.com. You can follow him on Twitter @BTNSean.